Six sensible slimming strategies for a feel-good weight loss that lasts

He may be a telegenic TV doc, but until he met his fiancee, Charlotte Brown—that's Dr. Brown, by the way—Travis Stork, MD, thought of himself as just another little boy. He ate his vegetables out of a sense of duty, not pleasure.

"I always plugged my nose up when eating them," the host of The Doctors says, distaste evident in his voice. "But Charlotte is great at hiding the vegetables so I don't even know they're there. She throws them in an omelet, in the marinara sauce, in a spicy fajita. I can't believe how many more veggies I eat, and it's all because of her."

He's on a roll now and can't be stopped. "It's amazing to me how, if you learn to make vegetables in the right way, how great they taste—and that's without loading them up with butter or sodium. And that makes a huge difference in how I feel—so much better than I ever did back when I was a bachelor."

[sidebar]That word: bachelor. Fans of Dr. Travis (as he's known on his show) will know that he made his first bow on television as the eponymous Bachelor in the show's eighth season, gallivanting around Paris and lobbing roses at single women. His career took a more serious turn with appearances on Dr. Phil, where he tapped his experience as an emergency physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to add a medical perspective to the mental and emotional focus of the show. That positioned him perfectly to sign on with The Doctors, the Emmy-winning health-advice program he hosts on channels across the country.

On why he wrote The Lean Belly Prescription, now a New York Times bestseller:"I know people get frustrated and discouraged as they try to lose weight—I hear about it all the time from people I treat and even members of my own family. Believe me, I sympathize. I rarely feel I have enough time with my patients, so I wanted to get what I've learned down on paper, so people can take their time with it and use the advice in their lives."

Why he won't use the D-word:"Just by going on a diet, you make it inevitable that one day you'll go off that diet. For most people, gradual weight loss is the way to ensure you keep the pounds off. Institute a series of small changes you can stick with. If they become lifestyle habits—a walk after dinner every night, making sure you eat a good breakfast every morning—they will benefit you in the long run."

On not caving in to his food cravings:"I have temptations just like everyone, and sometimes I intentionally give in to them. But since I've found healthier options, ones I enjoy, I don't miss my old ways so much."

The right way to beat stress:"I don't believe taking pills is the ideal way to help calm down. Nature provides any number of alternative stress busters that you don't need a prescription for. Take a walk, drink a glass of water with an orange slice in it, watch a funny video on YouTube, call a friend."